Opportunity, not problems
Inherent to the concept of a problem, is an assumed solution. Solving the problem therefore is not primary; understanding is.
Before you ever perceived a problem, you had an idea of a new or alternative state. Before this idea, you had conditions that led to the conception of this idea.
Running straight towards solving a problem leaves many questions unanswered and doesn't provide a good foundation for building a product of value. Modern product development relies on iteration (Agile) to "fix" the challenge of not knowing, but you can't dig yourself out of a hole. At best, if you dig less over time, you will end up where you started.
An alternative to "solving problems", is seeing your business as a means to provide opportunities for people. How can your business provide an opportunity for your customer's success, irrespective of their current position in life.
Here at the Catalyst, we believe that having a mindset of creating opportunities, we are in a better position to enable people's success. If we don't rush towards trying to solve problems, we can build a better understanding of the conditions that led to their ideas and subsequent problems and therefore are in a position to build the valued opportunities towards people's success.
The requirements to be in a position to provide opportunities, is an understanding of your product's landscape; your potential customers' mental models, your app's mesh of user journeys, what success is and how to achieve it.
Napoleon Hill
